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Loaves & Fishes executive director Sister Libby Fernandez, along with representatives from many faiths, blessed the ground for the construction of the new Friendship Park north of downtown Sacramento, a daytime gathering place of peace for the homeless. The ceremony was Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

Loaves & Fishes executive director Sister Libby Fernandez, along with representatives from many faiths, blessed the ground for the construction of the new Friendship Park north of downtown Sacramento, a daytime gathering place of peace for the homeless. The ceremony was Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016. Randy PenchThe Sacramento Bee

On Wednesday, Jews, Christians and Muslims came together for a “ground blessing.” Instead of standing in the mud and rain where the new park is being constructed, the gathering of 50 people was held nearby in a metal warehouse.

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Dirt from the gardens of homes and property outside houses of worship was symbolically dropped into a child’s wagon and then carted out to the sodden site where new facilities for the homeless are being constructed along North 12th Street, a site very close to the present Friendship Park.

The upgraded Friendship Park, scheduled for completion in September, is to be nearly 2 acres in size and include gazebos to provide shelter, shade trees, a service center where people get meal tickets and basic necessities, bike racks, restrooms and storage lockers, according to the Loaves & Fishes website.

Friendship Park is the central gathering place between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. for as many as 700 homeless men and women, many of whom suffer from physical and mental disabilities, and drug and alcohol dependency.